America's Constitution - by Akhil Reed Amar (Paperback)

About the Book

The author, a member of the Yale Law School faculty, presents a provocative examination of the historical forces--some quite surprising--that have molded the U.S. Constitution.

Book Synopsis

In America's Constitution, one of this era's most accomplished constitutional law scholars, Akhil Reed Amar, gives the first comprehensive account of one of the world's great political texts. Incisive, entertaining, and occasionally controversial, this "biography" of America's framing document explains not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it.

We all know this much: the Constitution is neither immutable nor perfect. Amar shows us how the story of this one relatively compact document reflects the story of America more generally. (For example, much of the Constitution, including the glorious-sounding "We the People," was lifted from existing American legal texts, including early state constitutions.) In short, the Constitution was as much a product of its environment as it was a product of its individual creators' inspired genius.

Despite the Constitution's flaws, its role in guiding our republic has been nothing short of amazing. Skillfully placing the document in the context of late-eighteenth-century American politics, America's Constitution explains, for instance, whether there is anything in the Constitution that is unamendable; the reason America adopted an electoral college; why a president must be at least thirty-five years old; and why-for now, at least-only those citizens who were born under the American flag can become president.

From his unique perspective, Amar also gives us unconventional wisdom about the Constitution and its significance throughout the nation's history. For one thing, we see that the Constitution has been far more democratic than is conventionally understood. Even though the document was drafted by white landholders, a remarkably large number of citizens (by the standards of 1787) were allowed to vote up or down on it, and the document's later amendments eventually extended the vote to virtually all Americans.

We also learn that the Founders' Constitution was far more slavocratic than many would acknowledge: the "three fifths" clause gave the South extra political clout for every slave it owned or acquired. As a result, slaveholding Virginians held the presidency all but four of the Republic's first thirty-six years, and proslavery forces eventually came to dominate much of the federal government prior to Lincoln's election.

Ambitious, even-handed, eminently accessible, and often surprising, America's Constitution is an indispensable work, bound to become a standard reference for any student of history and all citizens of the United States.

Review Quotes

"Authoritative, important . . . a masterly showcase of scholarship . . . Amar has a knack for assembling surprising bits of historical context that freshen one's outlook."--The New York Times Book Review

"Elegantly written, thorough but concise, and consistently enlightening . . . an indispensable reference."--Scott Turow, The Washington Post Book World (Best Books of the Year)

"Amar writes with fluidity and grace. . . . [America's Constitution is] a book of large provocations, liberally peppered with surprising observations, small but fascinating insights, and unexpected connections."--National Review

"As a reference book, it is superb. It is the fullest and most reliable explanation of the written Constitution that we have. [Amar's] case for the fundamentally popular and democratic origins of the Constitution gives his book a special distinction as a work of history."--Gordon S. Wood

"Scholarly, reflective and brimming with ideas . . . Rarely do you find a book that embodies scholarship at its most solid and invigorating; this is such a book."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The most fascinating character in American history--our enduring Constitution-- finally has its great and deserving biographer. And what a biographer Akhil Reed Amar is! He writes like Jefferson, thinks like Madison, and speaks like Lincoln. Everyone who appreciates the Constitution must read this wonderful biography. It is indispensable to an understanding of the constitutional world in which we live."--Alan Dershowitz, author of Preemption

About the Author

Akhil Reed Amar graduated from Yale College and Yale Law School, and has been a member of the Yale Law School faculty since 1985. He is the author of The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction and has written widely on constitutional issues for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. He lives in Woodbridge, Connecticut, with his wife and three children.